The Gene Corp War: Aftermath
by Gen.Reaper
Summary: In the aftermath of the Gene Corp War, Barnes and Samantha prepare themselves for parenthood as Night Furies with the help of the dragon riders and their friends. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**The Story So Far -**

Although the Gene Corp War is over and the ones responsible for it now defeated, the people affected by their doings must now come to terms with their new lives. This fact is particularly true to the members of the 502nd after their leader, Major Barnes, one of the best fighter aces in the American's People Military Air Corps(APMAC) was turned into Night Fury and is now responsible for not only the lives of the 502nd, but the other post-human dragons that includes his pregnant wife, Samantha who was also turned into a Night Fury as the war came to a close. Also effected by the war are the Viking tribes of the Barbaric who now must come to terms with their now rapidly changing world as scientists from the "Coalition Verse" rush to study the dragons bringing with them new opportunities and new dangers due to the unpredictable stability of the political landscape in both the Barbaric Archipelago and the Coalition Verse.

**Cape Girardeau Air Base**

**May 10****th****, 2241 – Two Months after the end of the Gene Corp War **

Barnes was sitting outside the hangar that he and Samantha now called home, staring up into the cloudy skies overhead as lighting danced between the clouds and thunder boomed

"Barnes! Would you get inside before it starts raining?! I don't want you to get sick!" Samantha shouted to him from the far back of the hangar where she was laying down

Barnes looked down at the ground and sighed as he got up before turning around and going to Samantha, who was now over two months pregnant

"You need to stop worrying so much." Barnes said to her as she scooted away from the wall to make room for him so he could lay down behind her

Samantha snorted while Barnes walked around her and laid down before placing his right wing over her as she slid closer to him before he wrapped his tail around her

"So where are the riders today? They're usually checking up on us right now." Samantha asked him

"Well I don't know, I haven't seen their dragons either so they might be out and about." He replied

"In this weather?" Samantha asked him

"I've flown in worst." He replied

"Yeah in a jet..." Samantha said

Barnes snorted

"They'll be fine, they're the best at what they do." He said to her when a Monstrous Nightmare entered the hangar

"Hey guys." Charles Karlson, the commander of the 1st Legion said to the two Night Furies

"Hi Karl, why aren't you with Tesla?" Barnes asked him

"She, Katie, and Robin are having a day for themselves today." He replied, "So how are things here?"

"Nothing exciting." Barnes said to him

"Do you know where the riders are?" Samantha asked him

"Not really, but I heard them talking about exploring Illinois a bit, yesterday." He replied

"Illinois?" Barnes asked, "Why are they over there?"

"Hell if I know." Karlson replied, "But they're nuts to do it in this weather, this entire area is lighting up like a Christmas tree today with tornado and flood watches."

"Jesus Christ, do they even know what a tornado is?" Samantha asked

"Come on Karl we better go look for them before they get hurt." Barnes replied

Karlson snorted

"Why don't you just stay here and just me go by myself? You're going to be father soon, I'm not." He said to Barnes

"Are you sure about that Karl?" He asked

"I'm sure." Karlson replied when Wensky ran into the hangar

"Guys! A huge *%$#ing twister just touched down on the other side of the river and guess who's right in the thick of it!" He said to them

"Still sure you want to go by yourself?" Barnes asked Karlson

"I'll be fine, you just stay here." He replied before taking off

"You better go with him." Barnes said

"Tesla is going tear you a new asshole if something happens to him." Wensky said to Barnes telepathically

"Don't remind me." He replied

**Across the Mississippi River; Near East Cape Girardeau, Illinois **

The dragon riders and their mounts were exploring the inventory of a flea market

"Hiccup, we better get going before it starts raining." Astrid said to Hiccup who was checking out a old laptop computer from 2009 that was sitting on a stand owned by a retired US Army Officer

"Just a minute!" He replied

"So are you going to buy it or what?" The Owner of the Stand asked him

"Well to tell you the truth it looks like a piece of junk." He replied

The Stand Owner laughed

"What do you expect? The damn thing is over 200 years old!" He said, "It take a expert to get it working again. You know what? Keep it! Like anybody was going to buy the piece of shit anyway. Now you all better get out of here, it's supposed to storm pretty hard soon."

"I can see that." Hiccup replied looking at the ominous clouds overhead, "Thanks, I think I actually know a expert on this kind of stuff in the 1st Legion."

Hiccup turned around and walked over to Toothless, who snorted

"There is no way we're going to make back to the air base before it starts to rain." The Night Fury said to him telepathically

"Not if we fly fast enough, plus we can always stop at the command bunker and wait for it to blow over if it does." He replied when the eerie sound of a siren blaring in East Cape Girardeau that was two miles down the highway from the flea market as a cyclone started to reach down from the clouds before touching down and rapidly growing in size

"TWISTER!" One of the Flea Market Stand Owners shouted, "EVERYBODY TO THE CELLAR!"

"Lets get out of here!" Hiccup shouted as he climbed onto Toothless, who was whining as the cyclone ripped apart a chicken farm and ripped the nearby trees and power poles out of the ground as it came toward them

"This is bad! Really really bad!" Fishlegs said as he tried to get Meatlug to take off, who refused to take off as the massive vortex came closer and closer

"There is no way we're going to be able to fly away from that thing! The debris will tear us to shreds!" Astrid shouted as the wind started to blow harder and harder as the roaring cyclone came closer

"Lets get into that storm cellar thing!" Hiccup shouted as he started to run toward the storm cellar where the the owners of the flea market and the owners of the stands were taking shelter and was surprisingly big enough to fit the riders and their riders including Hookfang with Astrid and Ruffnut being the last ones in and closed the heavy metal doors of the cellar behind them just seconds before the cyclone hit

**Sometime Later**

Karlson set down just outside the pile of rubble that used to be a flea market where the dragon riders were last reported to be and looked around to see if he could any sign of the riders or their riding mounts

"Hiccup!? Toothless?! Astrid?!" Karlson shouted with his translation collar and in dragonese, but got no response, but then he noticed the storm cellar as it's doors opened as the owners of the market flea market and it's employees came out followed by the riders and their dragons, who saw Karlson and ran over to him

"What was that?!" Astrid asked him

"A tornado, they're quite common this time of year in this year." He replied, "Probably a EF3 or EF4."

"What does that mean?" Hiccup asked him

"Enhanced Fujita Scale, it's what weather scientists use to measure the strength of a tornado by looking at the damage it inflicted." He replied

"Oh I've heard of that!" Fishlegs said to him, "I just didn't know what a tornado was..."

"Well we better get out of here so we're out of the way of the emergency workers when they get here." He replied

"Shouldn't we be helping these people?" Astrid asked him

Karlson released a sigh and looked at the flea market owner, who was going through the rubble of his store trying to find any personal longings

"Do you need any help?" Karlson asked him

The store owner turned around

"Oh I didn't see you there..." He said to him, "But I think we can handle ourselves, this old shack was falling apart anyway." He said to him

"What about the people at the chicken farm that was there?" Hiccup asked him

"I don't know em', as far as I know they've may not have been there." He replied

The dragon riders looked at Karlson, who sighed once again

"Well come on..." Karlson said to them before activating the radio on his translation collar to contact Barnes,"Barnes, we may want to get some more people down there to handle search and rescue operations."

"Understood, I'll get the others together and start heading that way. How bad is it?" He asked him as he took off with the riders

"Pretty bad, the flea market the riders are at is just completely gone and it looks like the tornado may still be on the ground heading east, so there maybe more damage down that way." He replied

"Okay...why were they at a flea market?" Barnes asked him

"Don't know." He replied

"We'll will be there soon, where are you guys?" Barnes asked him

"We're going to check out this chicken farm that the twister hit to see if we can find any survivors, I'm not very hopeful though, it's completely wrecked." He replied

"Copy that, just there until we get there, are any emergency response crews there?" Barnes said to him

"Not yet." He replied

"I guess I'll be contacting my dad then." Barnes said, "Tell me if you find anybody."

"Roger that." Karlson said as he and the riders landed in the of the chicken farm that was covered in debris, dead chickens, broken eggs, and feathers

"This is horrible..." Astrid said as she carefully climbed off of Stormfly, who was sniffing one of the dead chickens

"I wouldn't eat that if I was you." Karlson said to the Deadly Nadder, who nodded and backed off as Toothless, Hiccup, and Snotlout started to rummage through the pile of rubble that used to be one of the main buildings that housed chickens

"This smells worse than dragon poo." Snotlout said as he lifted a piece of sheet metal releasing three live chickens that jumped out before scattering, startling Snotlout and making him fall back while the other riders, Karlson, and Hookfang laughed, "That wasn't funny!"

"Hey! I got somebody over here!" Astrid shouted as she pulled a man out from under some rubble, "He's still breathing!"

Karlson came over to Astrid as fast as he could to look at the man

"Where are the damn paramedics when you need them?" Karlson asked as he looked up at the highway toward East Cape Girardeau as several police cars and firetrucks came rushing down the highway with some of them stopping at the chicken farm before their drivers and riders jumped off them and joined Karlson and the riders in looking for survivors

"Let me guess, APM?" A Fireman asked Karlson, who nodded

"APMSF 1st Legion, I came here looking for them. But there are others coming." He replied

The Fireman nodded and turned his attention to the wounded man

"Looks like he suffered some head trauma and made a few broken ribs and bones, it's imperative that we give him proper medical treatments." He said

"Any idea where the *$#$ing paramedics are?" Karlson asked him

"No idea." He replied as he started to apply first aid to the man

**Several Hours Later **

Head of the APP and the president of the United States, Reaper was wearing a rain poncho as he toured a small town struck by the E4 Tornado that plowed through it, with him was a APMSF Honor Guard, the town's mayor, a news crew, and emergency workers

"How many fatalities were there?" Reaper asked the Mayor

"We've only recovered one so far, it would've been two if it wasn't for the dragons." He replied

"Yeah I heard they were among the first responders." Reaper said to him

"They were the first responders." He replied, "Tell your son that I'm grateful for their assistance."

"I will." Reaper said to him, "So did you have plenty of warning before it hit?"

"The sirens went off about twenty minutes before the tornado went through town, so yes. The one that died was deaf and had his hearing aide turned off." He replied, "Tragic yes, but we can't save everybody."

Reaper nodded

"Well I guess I better get back to Cape Girardeau, because even I need to get a night's rest." He said to him, "I hope that you can start rebuilding soon."

"I hope so too, but it depends how it takes for the state government to give us the funds to." The Mayor replied

"Well you tell me if you think they're taking too long and the APP will fix it." Reaper said to him

The Mayor laughed

**Cape Girardeau Air Base **

With rain falling down in torrents, Barnes, other the post-human dragons, and the dragon riders returned to the Cape Girardeau airbase, exhausted after spending most of the day helping in search and rescue operations in several tornado-struck areas

"Glad that's over." Robin, a Post-Human Deadly Nadder said as she and her hangar mates went to their hangar while Barnes did the same and found Samantha curled up in a corner, sound asleep and he smiled as he tip-toed over to her and laid down in front of her while Toothless and Hiccup ran into the hangar with the other riders

"Do you mind if we stay here until it stops raining?" Hiccup asked Barnes

"Go ahead." He replied with his translation collar as he closed his eyes

"Thanks." Astrid said as the dragon riders and their mounts

"You're late." Samantha said to Barnes telepathically with sarcasm while keeping her eyes shut

"I didn't see you flying across Southern Illinois pulling people out of rubble." He replied

Samantha smiled before she turned around and cuddled closer to Barnes, who wrapped his tail around her and placed his wing over her

"So did anything happen while I was gone?" Barnes asked her

"The sirens in Scott City went off, but as far as I know, nothing happened." She replied

Barnes sighed

"Well at least you're okay." He said to her, "Lets just sleep."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Parenthood

**Cape Girardeau Air Base **

**June 14****th****, 2241 **

After being told by doctors to leave the hangar, Barnes was anxiously pacing back and forth outside the closed doors of the hangar while Samantha laid her eggs with the help of the doctors and the dragon riders while the dragon mounts, the pilots of the 502nd, and the other post-human dragons comforted him

"Barnes, pacing is not going to make it any easier for you or Samantha." Captain Jack Franz Ramirez said to Barnes, "Now just calm down and relax."

"How can I relax while my wife is in there giving birth to what eventually will be my children." Barnes replied with his translation collar

"I think the proper term is spawning...sir." The New Guy said to him with his electronic voice synthesizer

"Spawning...birthing...what's the damn difference? All that matters are that's my wife in there doing it and I can't be there for her!" He replied when a white-faced Hiccup came running out of the hangar

"Barnes! Toothless! You better get in here!" Hiccup shouted to them

Barnes and Toothless got onto their feet and rushed into the hangar where they found Samantha surrounded by the other doctors while Astrid and Fishlegs cradled two Night Fury hatchlings in their arms

"Impossible..." Toothless stammered while Barnes approached Astrid and Fishlegs, who immediately presented his children to him

"We've never seen a dragon that gave live birth before." Hiccup said to Barnes, who looked back at Toothless, who was just as surprised as he was

"Is this something that Gene Corp did?" He asked one of the Doctors

"I can't say sir." He replied, "But good news is that they're healthy."

Barnes looked back at the baby Night Furies, who were staring at him with their blue and emerald eyes

"So are they male or female?" Barnes asked

"This one is a male." Astrid replied, "The one Fishlegs is holding is a female."

"Barnes?! Is that you?" Samantha cried

"I'm here Sam!" Barnes replied as he ran and plowed his way through the doctors so he could see her

"How are they?" Samantha asked him

"The babies? They're okay Sam." He replied

Samantha smiled, but it was cut short when she started to screech loudly, making Barnes panic and suddenly lose consciousness before felling onto his side

**Sometime Later **

When Barnes regained consciousness, he found himself alone in his hangar and almost immediately jumped up and ran out of the hangar to look for Samantha and his children, but found that his father was outside waiting for him

"So you finally decided to wake up?" Reaper asked him as Barnes skid to a stop

"Where are they?" Barnes asked

"They're in the infirmary; Toothless has been keeping an eye on them for you." Reaper replied

"The infirmary?! Is something wrong?" Barnes asked

"No, the doctors moved them there so they keep a better eye on them and plus Samantha needs to recover." Reaper replied

"Is she awake?" Barnes asked him

"Last time I checked she was." He replied before Barnes ran off toward the infirmary

"I think that went well." Reaper said

Samantha was nestled against the western wall of the infirmary with her three hatchlings that were curled up next to her abdomen, sound asleep while Samantha was unable to sleep because she was worried about Barnes while Toothless watched over her when Barnes came into the infirmary and found them inside their cubicle

"Barnes!" Samantha cried out, waking up the hatchlings, whose heads immediately shot up as their father ran to their mother while Toothless got up

"She's all yours." Toothless said as he walked past Barnes as he lay down across from Samantha, forming a circle around the hatchlings, who stared at their father

"So...have you named them?" Barnes asked her

"Not yet, I wanted to wait until you were here." She replied while one of the hatchlings got up, approached its father, and sniffed one of his legs as he looked down at it and smiled

"So is this the boy?" Barnes asked

"Another female." Samantha replied

"So it's two females and one male?" Barnes asked her

Samantha nodded before he looked down at the hatchling, who was now staring up at him with her head cocked

"I think she's curious about you." Samantha said to him

Barnes laughed quietly making the Night Fury cock her head in the other way

"Hey there little one." Barnes said to it

The hatchling cried before she came closer to Barnes, curled up against him, closed her eyes, and quickly fell back asleep while her siblings got up and did the same while Barnes watched them

"So should we name them now or wait until tomorrow?" Samantha asked him

"Let's go ahead and do it now." He replied, "I think we should name the emerald eyed female, Anna."

Samantha smiled

"It's perfect." She said as she looked at Anna before looking at the blue-eyed female who was laying down next to her, "I think we should call the other girl...Zoey."

"Perfect name..." Barnes replied, "We should name the boy after your biological father."

"Leon? Well that certainly wasn't my first choice, but sure." Samantha said to him

"Zoey, Anna, and Leon...our children." He replied as he looked down at the sleep hatchlings while both he and Samantha purred

"You're going to be a great father, you know that?" Samantha asked him

"And you're going to be one hell of a mother." He replied

Samantha smiled

"Here let me take that damn collar off of you." She said to him as she reached over and grabbed his translation collar with her teeth before pulling it off and placing it down on the ground in front of her before she and Barnes laid their heads down

"Now we're going have to teach them their names." He said to her telepathically

"And how are we going to do that?" She replied

"We'll find a way, maybe Toothless and the riders be able to help us with it?" He said to her

Leon lifted his head up and yawned before lowering it back down while Zoey and Anna stirred

"How are we going to teach them any academics?" Samantha asked Barnes

"We'll have to find a way, probably a tutor." He replied

"Who the hell is going to tutor baby dragons?" Samantha asked him

"I don't know...I'm sure there is somebody out there my dad can bribe with his...charms." He replied, "Come on, we'll talk about this later, for now let's get some rest."

**Early the Next Day **

"Rise and shine you guys!" Hiccup shouted, waking up Barnes, Samantha, and their hatchlings as he, Astrid, and Toothless came into their cubicle

"So have you named them yet?" Astrid asked Barnes as he got up and stretched his legs while the hatchlings ran to their mother as Hiccup grabbed Barnes' translation collar and placed it around his neck

"Yeah, I want you to say hello to Zoey, Anna, and Leon." He replied with the collar while the hatchlings cocked their heads in curiosity at the two dragon riders and Toothless, with the latter looking back at them

"Do they know them?" Hiccup asked him

"Not yet, but we're planning to teach them that today, or at least try to." He replied

"Well I'm sure we'll be able to help you with that." Hiccup said to him

"So how long will it be until you can back to your hangar?" Toothless asked Barnes

"In a few days according to the docs." Samantha replied

"Barnes shouldn't you be doing something?" Hiccup asked Barnes

"Oh crap! I forgot…I'll back…whenever." He replied before he ran out of the cubicle and the infirmary

Once he was outside of the infirmary, Barnes immediately took off into the air and headed toward the nearest water source, Ramsey Creek where most of the post-human dragons usually got their meals from

"Ugh...something tells me I'm going to regret this." Barnes thought to himself before diving into the murky and muddy water of the creek to fish

**The Infirmary**

**Several Minutes Later**

"What is taking him so long?" Astrid asked as she cradled Zoey in her arms

"He's probably trying to find a good place to fish." Hiccup replied

"I just hope he doesn't get it from that filthy, muddy…creek." Astrid said as Barnes returned, covered in mud and other debris while holding a catfish in his mouth

"Not…a…word." He said with his translation collar as he came into the cubicle, leaving a trail of muddy footprints in his wake before regurgitating the fish he caught onto the floor, that were surprisingly clean considering their source, "Now can somebody help me get all this mud off of me before it dries?"

"Astrid, you stay here with them, me and Toothless will go give Barnes a bath." Hiccup replied

"Sure." Astrid said as the hatchlings gathered around the fish and started to drag some out while Toothless and Hiccup escorted Barnes out of the infirmary and into the hangar where the 502nd kept their F-45s

"Toothless see what you can do while I see if I can find out how to turn those water hoses on." Hiccup said to Toothless before heading the toward the water hoses while Toothless came toward Barnes and started to lick the mud off of his face

"You're going to need to find a new place to fish." He said to Barnes telepathically

"Well where do you guys fish?" He asked him

"A fishing pond near a farmer's house south of here." He replied

"Does the farmer know you use it?" Barnes asked him

"Yeah, my rider got his permission." He replied

"You guys will have to show it to me then." Barnes said to him when Hiccup returned with a hose, "Did you turn the pressure on that thing down? Because at full blast those things could tear right through skin."

Hiccup sprayed Barnes in the face

"Does that answer your question?" Hiccup asked him

Barnes nodded while Toothless backed away before Hiccup started to use the hose to spray the mud off of Barnes

"So have you guys heard anything from Berk?" Barnes asked them with his translation collar

"I was actually on the phone with my dad before we came to wake you guys up." Hiccup said to him, "From what I understand from our chat, everything is just now going back to normal well and they're expecting the first group of scientists to arrive in a few weeks."

"From which country?" Barnes asked

"It's multinational or something like that." Hiccup replied

"How are the other tribes?" Barnes asked

"I can't say, we normally have little contact with the other tribes unless on special occasions." Hiccup replied, "But considering all that's changed in the past few months, I bet that's going to change."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Barnes said as Hiccup washed the last of the mud off of him before Barnes shook himself dry, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, did Toothless tell you about our fishing spot?" Hiccup asked him

Barnes nodded

"Don't know where it is though." He said to him

"We'll show it to you later." Hiccup said to him, "But for now lets get back to your family."

Barnes snorted and started to head back to the infirmary with Hiccup and Toothless following behind them

"Okay Toothless I want you to be truthful with me on this, are Barnes and Samantha doing this right?" Hiccup asked Toothless quietly

"So far, yes. They're putting everything we've taught them to use." He replied telepathically, "But I can't say that won't change after we leave as they get older."

"How long will it take for them to grow up?" Hiccup asked

"It usually takes three years for a hatchling to become an adult, but I can't be for certain with them because we have to consider the changes that the Gene Corp human did to the genetic code things as already proven with Samantha giving live birth instead of laying eggs." Toothless said to him, "We also consider that their hatchlings are going to be growing up in a more stable environment where food shortages are rarer than in our world."

Hiccup nodded

Barnes came into the cubicle and found that the hatchlings were still nibbling happily on their fish while Samantha ate her share as Astrid petted Anna

"Did I miss anything?" Barnes asked Samantha

"Not really." She replied after swallowing a catfish before he separated his share of fish from the rest of the pile and started eating while Toothless and Hiccup came in

"Besides the mud fury part, you guys are doing well on your first day." Astrid said to Barnes and Samantha

"Well we did learn from the best." He replied, "So where are the other riders?"

"They're...about." Astrid said while Leon finished eating the last of his fish and went over to Barnes' pile and tried to get a fish from it while Barnes got the same fish he did and Leon immediately tried to tug the fish away from his father

"I don't think so little guy." Barnes said with a grin as he gently tugged back while Leon pulled with all his strength and even started growling while Samantha rolled her eyes

"Boys..." Samantha said before laughing lightly as Barnes chomped down on the fish, cutting it in half

"There we're even now." Barnes said to the hatchling as it dragged away it's half of the fish as he ate his half whole while Samantha looked at him and smiled while Leon laid down next other and started to nimble on his half of the fish while Barnes ate another fish

**APM Central Command Bunker **

Reaper was doing paperwork when there was a knock on the door

"I said I wanted to be left alone while I worked!" Reaper said as he came to the door and opened it and found three Cape Girardeau Police Officers, two of them holding Tuffnut and Ruffnut, who were in handcuffs as they argued, while Fishlegs and Snotlout stood alongside the third Officer, who had a black eye

"I believe these four are your responsibility?" The Officer with the black eye asked him

"I believe so...what did they do this time?" He replied as he pinched his nose

"These two got into a fight in a Starbucks over which mocca was better and these two were trying to break it up with we arrived, and lets just say things got pretty ugly when one of them accidentally knocked over a coffee cup onto the lap of one of your men."She said to him

Reaper sighed and rolled his eyes

"I'll take them from here Officers." He said to them, "What about their dragons?"

"Didn't have them with them." She replied while the Officers holding Ruffnut and Tuffnut removed the handcuffs and released them, "Thank god for that."

"Well thank you for bringing them here rather throwing them into the jail." Reaper said to them

"No problem sir." The Officer said to him before she and the others left

"What the hell where you two thinking?!" Reaper yelled at Tuffnut and Ruffnut once the Officers were gone

"She started it." Tuffnut replied before Ruffnut punched him, knocking him onto the floor

Reaper sighed

"You two get along worst than Israel and the UAS." He said to himself

"Who?" Snotlout asked

"Nothing." Reaper replied, "Why aren't you guys at the airbase helping Astrid and Hiccup with Barnes and Samantha?"

"Hiccup said they could take care of them without our help." Fishlegs said to him

Reaper sighed again

"Figures and I get stuck with you guys..." He said to them, "Well come, I'll give you a ride back to the air base, it's about time I check up on my son anyway. Just let me get my keys..."

**Cape Girardeau Air Base**

**Several Minutes Later**

Barnes was laying behind Samantha with his tail wrapped around her and wing placed over her while they watched Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless play with their hatchlings when Reaper entered the cubicle with the Thornston twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout

"Hi dad...why are they with you?" Barnes said to his father with his translation collar while the hatchlings started at at Reaper with their heads cocked

"Ask the police department." He replied

"Seriously?!" Hiccup asked them

"It was their fault! Don't look at us!" Fishlegs replied as he pointed to the twins

"Take it outside if you're going to do that." Barnes said to them with his translation collar while his father sat down as the three hatchlings approached them

"So what are their names?" Reaper asked him

"Leon, Anna, and Zoey." He replied as Leon jumped into Reaper's lap and started sniffing him while Anna and Zoey did the same, "That one there being Leon."

"Curious little things aren't they?" Reaper asked as he watched Leon

"It's a whole new world for them." Hiccup replied

Leon laid down in Reaper's lap

"So what are you guys gonna do now?" Reaper asked Barnes

"Well me and Samantha were talking last night and we want to find a way to teach them academics and we wondering if you could help us find a tutor who is will teach them once they're old enough." He replied

Reaper looked down at Leon and then at Anna and Zoey, who playing with each other

"I'll see what I can do, no promises though." Reaper said to them, "But I'm sure there's somebody out there who will be willing to teach them as long as you do your best to teach them the basics."

"Well I'm sure we can do _that_." Samantha replied as Leon started to fall asleep in Reaper's lap, "Just want to make sure they have a good education so if the day ever comes that they're able to turn us back, they'll be ready for the world."

"Don't worry you two, I'll get you somebody." Reaper said to them


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Hunters

**Cape Girardeau Airport and Air Base – Infirmary **

**A Week Later**

Barnes poked his head out of the Infirmary and looked around a bit before looking back at Samantha, who had their hatchlings on her back

"It's all clear." He said to them before he left the infirmary before stopping outside to wait for Samantha, who walked alongside him to their hangar and giving their children, their first encounter with the outdoors

"I really hope they stay up here..." Samantha said to Barnes as she looked back the hatchlings who curiously studying the entire area around them

"They will." He replied when they ran into Wensky and Katie as they left their hangar

"Awwww...they're so cute!" Katie said as she looked at the three Night Fury hatchlings as they stared back at them with wide, excited eyes, "What are their names?"

"Leon, Zoey, and Anna." Samantha replied, "This is their first time outside since they were born."

"So I guess you're taking them to your hangar?" Wensky asked them

"Yeah." Barnes replied

"Well don't let us keep you waiting then." Wensky said before he and Katie moved on while Barnes and Samantha continued on to their hangar where they found the doors opened and the Karlsons sleeping inside

"...Should we...?" Samantha asked him

Barnes snorted quietly

"Let them have their rest." He said to her as he want inside and laid against the southern wall of the hangar while Samantha quietly closed the hangar door before going over to Barnes and laying down next to him and allowing the hatchlings to climb off her back before all three laid down next to her

"Barnes, shouldn't you be getting us some food?" Samantha asked him as he was about to place his wing over her and the hatchlings

"Dammit keep forgetting." Barnes though to himself before getting up and going to the hangar door, opening it before walking out and closing it again and then taking off into the sky and flying toward the fishing pond that Toothless and Hiccup had shown him two days earlier, leaving Samantha and the hatchlings while Tesla, awoken by the sound of Barnes opening and closing the hangar door lifted her head up

"Wha..." She said tiredly before seeing Samantha and her hatchlings, "Oh wow..didn't know you guys were going to be coming in here today. So where did Barnes go?"

"To get us breakfast, so what are you guys doing in here?" Samantha asked her

"We...uhhh...uhhh...wanted to be alone for a while." She replied

Samantha snorted

"It must get pretty tiresome sharing a hangar with Gaulle and Carville." She said to Tesla

"Oh you have no idea..." She replied before looking at the hatchlings, who more than curious of the Monstrous Nightmares as they cocked their heads at Tesla, "Huh I imagine they would be bigger than that."

Samantha snorted

"After the pain I endured delivering them, I'm glad they weren't." She said to her, "So has anything happened while I was in the infirmary?"

"Not really." She replied, "So how are you?"

"I'm fine." Samantha said to her

"Good to hear." She replied while she nudged her husband to wake him up

"What is it?" Karlson said tiredly

"Time to wake up." She replied while Karlson sighed and lifted up head before opening his eyes and seeing Samantha

"Are we intruding on anything?" He asked her

"No, I'm actually enjoying the company of others." She replied

Karlson nodded

"So how are the little buggers?" He asked her

"They've been so calm so far, but Toothless said they usually don't become active until about three weeks." She replied

"Glad to hear that they're okay." Karlson said to her, "What about Barnes?"

"He's been doing well and he's been starting to get better at getting us food." She replied, "Other than that I think he's enjoying being a father, he just loves little Zoey here to death."

Zoey looked back at her mother and cried

**South of the Air Base**

Barnes was flying past the small town of Kelso on his way back to the airbase when he heard several shots rang out from the wooded area below as bullets zipped past him and Barnes immediately began to maneuver to avoid being hitting

"Watch your fire assholes!" Barnes shouted down to the Hunters below him with his translation collar, but kept firing, "These guys are trying to kill me!", "This is Dice-1 to Cape Girardeau Air Base, I'm talking small arms fire from possible hostiles in a wooded area near Kelso and require immediate assistance!"

"Roger that Dice-1, we've got reinforcements in route, please standby." A APM Officer replied

"Roger that." Barnes said as he continued to dodge the hunters' fire before one lucky round shot off part of his right ear, "That's it!"

Barnes noticed a camouflaged pick up truck in the forest and immediately started to charge up a shot before diving down at it and fire blasting the truck that bursted into flames as he flew back up into the sky and found his target, one of the hunters who were sitting in a hunting stand mounted to one of the trees before he charged up another shot and dove down again before fire blasting the hunter, who jumped off the stand before the shot hit and blasted it to pieces while Barnes flew back into the sky while several APM VTOLs flew into view and landed outside the wooded area where the hunters were at, depositing a platoon of APM Shocktroopers

**Cape Girardeau Air Base**

Barnes and the VTOLs returned to the air base where everybody was waiting for them

"Are you okay?!" Samantha asked as she ran up to him

"I'm fine." He replied until she saw the part of his ear that had been shot off

"Liar!" She said as she started to lick him, "But at least you're okay!"

The VTOLs landed nearby and kicked up a cloud of dust before they shut off their engines and open their doors allowing the Shocktroopers to disembark with the Hunters, who were no other than ex-Blackwater mercenaries

"Take them to the brig!" Karlson said to the Shocktroopers

"Yes sir." One of them replied before they Escorted the hunters to the brig while Karlson went over to check on Barnes while he hugged Samantha with his right wing

"How's the ear?" Karlson asked him

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt." He replied while Toothless and Hiccup gave it a closer look

"Can you still hear out of it?" Hiccup asked him

"Yeah." He replied

"Well I hate to say this, but I think this mean it isn't safe for any of us to travel outside of the airbase alone." Karlson said to them, "And I mean that for all of us."

Barnes snorted

"I agree." He said to him, "From this point on, none of us fly out of this airbase without escorts because as far as we know, there maybe more of those guys out there."

"I'll also be posting guards at all of our fishing areas to make sure nobody tries to set up an ambush." Karlson added

"Anything that keeps my head mounted on my neck rather than on somebody's wall." Wensky replied while Vasili, a Russian post-human Gronckle snorted in agreement

"Well come on Sam, we still need to feed the kiddies." Barnes said to Samantha before they started to head to their hangar

"I really hope this was a isolated incident." She said to him telepathically

"I hope so too." He replied

**APM Central Command Bunker**

**Later that Night **

Reaper was in his office while Luke Twones, the director of the CIA sat next to him as they reviewed Karlson's report about the ex-Blackwater mercenaries who tried to kill Barnes

"Something just isn't right about this Reaper, I reviewed all of Blackwater's personnel files and these guys were listed as KIA before the war even started." Twones said to Reaper

"Yeah I've noticed and they're also listed as special operations." He replied

"Do you think this is part of a larger operation to get back at us?" Twones asked him

"I hope not, but we can't be for certain. Gene Corp hard-wiped most of their computer data before we could get on our hands on it including the location of another research facility involved in some other project of theirs." He replied

"Well these guys were defiantly not acting alone though, so there's probably more of them or another party involved." Twones said to him

Reaper sighed

"Twones, I am not going to take any chances with this. I want you to put a team together to investigate this, turn over every *$#$ing stone between here and Phoenix if you have too. If this is part of a larger operation, I want to know before they can hit us again." He said to him

"So I guess this means the Gene Corp War is still on?" He asked him

"Not officially, but not a word of this is to be repeated outside of this office." He replied, "Last thing we need is a panic and the last I need is a bunch of pissed off fire breathing post-humans roaming the countryside."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Departure

**Barnes and Samantha's Hangar**

**June 28****th****, 2241 **

After saying their last good byes, Toothless and Hiccup were on their way out of the hangar to go to the VTOL that would take them back to berk when Zoey jumped over Samantha's tail and ran after them

"Zoey!" Samantha cried as Toothless turned his head to look back at the hatching that stopped when it say him staring at her

"Go back to your parents little one." He said to her while Barnes came over and grabbed her by the scruff with his mouth before lifting her up off the ground

"Sorry about that." Barnes said to them with his translation collar

"It's okay." Hiccup said while Toothless turned around to look at Zoey, who looked at him with her emerald-green eyes

"Don't worry little one, we'll being see each other again sometime." Toothless said to the hatchling, who cocked her head before he looked at Barnes, "You're in good care here."

"We're going to miss you buddy." Barnes said to Toothless telepathically

Toothless smiled

"Come on Toothless! They're waiting for us!" Hiccup shouted out to Toothless, who nodded and ran after Hiccup while Barnes carried Zoey back to her siblings and mother

"It's not going to the same not having them here." Samantha said to him he placed Zoey with her siblings

"It know it isn't, without them we would all be mindless drones for Gene Corp right now." He replied as he laid down behind her and placed his wing over her, "I guess all we can do now is do the best we can."

Samantha poked her head under Barnes' wing to look at the hatchlings laying beside her

"How are we going to explain them to them?" Samantha asked him

"Well I was thinking we could call Toothless their uncle, but as long as we also tell them we're not really related to him." He replied

"Uncle Toothless...that actually has a nice ring to it." Samantha said to him, "Not sure what Toothless might think if he comes back."

"Ahhh...we'll be seeing him and the others again." He replied


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: A Year Later

**Barnes' and Samantha's Hangar **

**June 14****th****, 2242 **

Barnes and Samantha were sleeping soundly together when Barnes was awoken by the feeling of something tugging at his ear-like appendages

"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up!" Leon cried into Barnes' ear

"Not now you guys!" Barnes replied as he tried to go back to sleep

"But you promised!" Anna cried

"You did promise them." Samantha said to him telepathically, awaken by the cries of their children, who were now the size of the average golden retriever

Barnes sighed, but smiled as he got up

"Okay you win, lets go." Barnes said while his children cried in joy as they rode on his back, "I sure hope Toothless was right about this being programmed in their heads."

Barnes took the Night Fury yearlings out of the hangar and to a overgrown and unused helipad where they climbed off his back using his tail and sat down as they watched their father extend his wings to their maximum length

"Okay guys, we're going to start with the basics first." Barnes said to his children as they watched and listened to him, "First stand up on all four legs and extend your wings like this."

The yearlings nodded and extended their wings to their maximum length as they stood up on all four legs

"Like this daddy?" Zoey asked him

"Yes." He replied with a smile while Samantha sat down in a nearby patch of tall grass and watched, "Now follow my lead and the rest should come naturally."

Barnes took off running before jumping and with one powerful flap of his wings, went higher into the air before he started to fly around in circles while he watched the yearlings take off after him before joining him

"Look daddy! We're flying!" Leon cried

"I can see that Leo!" Barnes replied with a smile on his face while Samantha joined them, "But keep in mind that you guys can't fly as far or as fast as me and your mother can yet"

"Okay!" Anna cried

"Now where to?" Barnes asked Samantha

"Lets go to the fishing pond." She replied

"That's a bit far for them...maybe we should the creek first?" Barnes asked her

"Sure." She replied

"Okay you three follow us." Barnes said as he and Samantha flew toward Ramsey creek and landed on it's banks

"You guys are doing well!" Samantha said to the yearlings after they landed, making them do little dances in joy when Barnes noticed two Monstrous Nightmares laying down together in the tall grass across the creek from them

"Karl, Tesla? Is that you?" Barnes yelled making one of the Monstrous Nightmares lift their heads

"Yeah it's us!" Karlson shouted while he and a pregnant Tesla got up and came across the creek

"Wow Tesla this is the first time I've seen you out of your hangar." Samantha said to Tesla

"Well even this body has it's own problems being pregnant." She replied as she laid down, out of breath, "I can see why you were laying down all the time now."

"So I see that you kept your promise to your youngsters." Karlson said to Barnes as he looked at the yearlings

"Yeah..." He replied, "So what are you guys doing out here?"

"Tesla wanted to leave the hangar." Karlson said before he looked at the yearlings, "So how are the little birthday girls and boy today?"

"Daddy taught us how to fly like him!" Zoey said to him

Karlson laughed

"I just taught them basics, I'll get into the more advanced stuff when they're older." He said to him telepathically

"I'd figure you would do that." Karlson replied while Barnes extended his wings

"Where are you going?" Samantha asked him

"To get breakfast as always." He replied before taking off into the air

"Why didn't he use just use the creek?" Tesla asked her

"Water's filthy." She replied

"Yeah, but you don't get dirty if you fish in the right spots." Karlson said to her

"Wish you could have told him that." She replied

Several minutes passed before Barnes returned

"Come and get it you guys." He said before regurgitating the fish he caught onto the ground for Samantha and their children to eat before separating his share from the rest of the pile

"Where do you even put all that?" Karlson asked him

Barnes made a shrug-like motion with his wings before eating his first fish

"So are guys holding a party or anything of the sort to celebrate?" Tesla asked Barnes and Samantha

"Not really, me and Barnes aren't good party planners." Samantha replied

"Plus how are we supposed to throw a party for baby dragons?" Barnes asked

"Good point." Karlson replied, "So will your dad being showing up? I haven't heard anything from him since I told him that Tesla was pregnant."

"I don't know...and to tell your truth I doubt he will." Barnes said to him

"What makes you say that?" Tesla asked while Karlson sighed

"Because he didn't show up for any of my birthday parties!" Barnes replied making Samantha, Tesla, and the yearlings' look at them

"Barnes you really need to be easier on your father because you were growing up during a very difficult time for him and you're lucky you don't have to go through what he had to!" Karlson said to him

Barnes snorted

"Lets not talk about this in front of them..." He said to him as he motioned to Zoey, Anna, and Leon who were looking at them

Karlson nodded

"Come on Tesla, lets head back home." He said to Tesla, who nodded and took off with him toward the air base

"Barnes! You're acting like a complete ass!" Samantha said angrily to Barnes, catching him off guard, "I know your father wasn't around much when you were growing up, but he's making a honest attempt to fix that by trying to be here for us and our kids!"

Barnes sighed

"I know he is..." He said quietly

"Then why are you being a asshole about it?!" She asked him

"Because I've seen what he used to do for a living!" He replied before taking off into the air and flying off

"Barnes!" Samantha cried, but didn't take off after him because she was afraid of leaving Zoey, Anna, and Leon by themselves

"Mommy...is dad coming back this time?" Leon asked her

"I...don't know." She replied, "Hurry up and finish eating your fish."

**Barnes' and Samantha's Hangar **

**Four Hours Later**

Samantha was laying down by herself with Leon, Anna, and Zoey, who sound asleep as their mother grew increasingly uneasy when Reaper came into the hangar

"He...where's Barnes?" Reaper asked her

"I don't know, we got into a argument down by the creek and he took off and hasn't came back!" She replied with her translation collar while trying to keep herself from crying

Reaper sighed

"It was about me wasn't it?" He asked her

Samantha hesitantly nodded

"Look Sam, Barnes knows things about me that most people outside of my field normally don't and...well lets just say it's one of the main reasons our relationship is as strained as it is." He said to her, "Do you have any idea where he could have gone?"

"No and that's what's worrying me." She replied

"Stay here with them, I'll go try to find him." Reaper said to her while he left the hangar when to the Karlsons' hangars

"What is it Reaper?" Karlson asked him

"Barnes and Samantha got into a argument and he took off and hasn't came back yet." He replied

"Oh no...this is all my fault." Karlson said to him, "I'm the one who brought it up..."

"Well there's no use in saying sorry now, what's been done can't be taken back. But for now lets go fine Barnes before something bad happens." He replied, "Do you have any riding gear?"

Karlson nodded

"Well I guess it's time we put it on then." He said to him

**South of Scott City, MO; Draper Lake **

**Several Minutes Later**

Barnes was laying down near the water's edge, staring into his relfection in the water while trying to find the courage to go back to the air base when Reaper and Karlson found him using the tracking device built into his translation collar and landed nearby

"Let me handle this Karlson, this is between me and him." Reaper said to Karlson, who nodded and stay behind while Reaper approached Barnes and sat down on the ground next to him

"What is it dad?" Barnes asked him with his translation collar

"Barnes I'm not asking you to forgive me for dropping the ball with you when you were growing or for the things you saw me do before and during the Clan Wars, but I don't want you taking it out on Samantha and your kids." He replied, "The former of which is scared out of her mind for you right now."

"How bad is it?" He asked him

"Not as bad as it will if you don't go back right now." He replied, "So why did you come here?"

"It's a place where grandma used to take me when I was kid." Barnes said to him

"You never told me about that..." He said to Barnes

"Because I didn't want to know about it, it's where I come to be alone." He replied

"Oh..." Reaper said as he patted Barnes on the back, "But you need really to go back, Samantha's scared to death."

Barnes sighed and got up

"Is she mad at me?" He asked him

"I don't know, but she's still your wife and the mother of your children." He replied

Barnes took a deep breath

"You win..." He said to her before he took and headed back up north while Reaper headed to mount Karlson

"That went better than I expected." He said to Reaper with his translation collar

"Every couple gets into arguments." He replied

**Barnes' and Samantha's Hangar**

Barnes poked his head through the slightly opened hangar door and was immediately seen by Samantha

"Barnes!" She cried before getting up and running over to him as he came in before slapping him on the side of the face with her tail flaps, "Don't you EVER do that to me again!"

"I won't..." Barnes said before Samantha started licking him and purring

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" The Yearlings cried as they ran over to their parents

"Hey guys!" Barnes said as he laid to greet his children while Samantha watched and smiled as the three yearlings played with their father as Reaper and Karlson landed outside

"I think our job here is done." Reaper said to Karlson, who snorted as Reaper got off the saddle and started to remove it

"So has there been anymore incidents like last year?" Karlson asked him

"You mean with the ex-mercs?" He replied, "No, but I put Twones and the CIA on the job and as far as I know, they haven't came up with anything."

Karlson nodded

"They probably were just a isolated group." He said to him

"Yeah probably a bunch of stragglers from their invasion." Reaper replied, "So how's Tesla?"

"She's fine." He replied

"Good to hear." Reaper said as he finished removing the saddle from Karlson, "So you guys and the Wenskies waited to see how they turned out before you tried?"

"Yeah basically." Karlson replied with his translation collar, "I better get back to Tesla, she can get pretty clingy if I'm gone for too long."

"Well don't let me stop you." Reaper said to him before Karlson headed to his hangar while Reaper went toward Barnes and Samantha, "So you guys have made up now?"

Barnes snorted as he continued to play with the yearlings

"Yeah..." Samantha said to him with her translation collar

"Well that's good, I remember when me and his mom got into our first argument...I did the same-thing." He replied

"So I guess that runs in the family?" Samantha asked him

Reaper shrugged

"Don't know who my father and mother were, so I can't say." He said to her

"I know the feeling..." She replied

"Daddy...I'm hungry." Zoey cried to Barnes while the other hatchlings agreed

"Okay...okay." He replied as he got up before Samantha stopped him

"I don't think so...you stay here with them while I get the fish." She said to him before taking off while Barnes sighed and laid down again with the yearlings

"Daddy is mommy going to be coming back?" Leon asked him

"Yes..." He replied while Reaper approached him

"I really wish that I could understood what the little guys were saying." He said to Barnes while the yearlings huddled together against their father's chest

"Get into turned a dragon and you will." He replied with his translation collar

"Oh very funny..." Reaper said to him when he looked at Barnes' damaged ear, "So that doesn't bother you at all?"

"Nah it only shot off the top where nothing important was." He replied, "I occasionally get a ringing noise in that ear, but that's it."

"Well at least it's alright." Reaper said, "Well if you, the Wenskies, or Karlson and Tesla have any problems, contact me and I see what I can do."

"Okay dad." Barnes replied

"Also if you do that to Samantha again, I'm going to kick your ass." Reaper said to him

Barnes snorted and looked down at the yearlings

"Well come on guys lets head inside." Barnes said to them as he got up and went inside with Reaper and the yearlings following right behind him, "So is there anything going on behind closed doors we should know about?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Reaper replied

"Good." Barnes said as he laid down with his children


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Conclusion

**Island of Oahu, Hawaii **

**December 26****th****, 2242 **

Barnes and Samantha were laying down under a palm tree while they watched their three yearlings and Terry play with a small crab while the Wenskies and Karlsons played with their children while storm clouds gathered on the horizon as the sun disappeared behind them

"You guys be careful!" Barnes shouted to the yearlings

"Just let them play." She replied before Leon grabbed the crab with his mouth and ran off with it while Terry and his siblings chased after him, rushing past the APMSF Stormtroopers who were patrolling the beach to make sure nobody tried to bother the post-human dragons while they enjoyed their vacation

"That poor crab..." Barnes said to her telepathically, "Should we go get them before they get too far?"

"Yeah..." She replied before they both got up and ran after their children down the beach and past the Wenskies and nearly knocked over their only daughter, Emily

"Hey, be careful!" Wensky shouted to them as he picked up Emily with his mouth

"Sorry!" Barnes shouted back to him as he and Samantha caught up to their children as they and Terry pulled at the crab's limbs to get it away from the others, "Would you guys leave that poor thing alone?"

Leon, Zoey, and Anna released the crab that Terry immediately flew off with into some nearby shrubs while the three Night Fury yearlings went to their parents and walked back with them to the Palm Tree

"Mommy, daddy, are we in trouble?" Leon asked his parents

"No sweetie...we just don't want you or your sisters getting hurt." Samantha replied

"What about Terry?" Zoey asked

"He...can take care of himself." Barnes replied as he looked back at the shrubs that Terry had flown into as a disembodied pincer was thrown out

Barnes, Samantha, and the yearlings reached the palm tree and laid down together at the base of it's trunk where they continued to watched the Karlsons and Wenskies play

"Why isn't grandpa here?" Anna asked Barnes and Samantha's

"Because your grandpa is a busy man and doesn't get to have very many vacations." Samantha replied

"Hey guys! We should start heading back to Ford Island, weather is supposed to get pretty bad tonight!" One of the APMSF Stormtroopers shouted to them

Barnes sighed

"Okay guys it's time to go." He said to the yearlings, who cried

"But daddy we want to stay!" Zoey cried to him as he and Samantha got up while the Karlsons and Wenskies took their children before flying off while the APMSF patrols got into their vehicles and drove off

"Zoey, a storm's coming." Samantha said to her, "Now come on, lets go."

Zoey, Leon, and Anna climbed up Samantha's tail onto her back while she extended out her wings while Barnes went to the shrubs and grabbed Terry, who had a piece of a crab meat hanging out of his mouth as Barnes went back to Samantha and placed him on her back with the yearlings before they both took off and headed to Ford island, joining the Wenskies and Karlsons

"Well that was fun while it lasted, we need to take vacations like this more often." Wensky said

"Yeah..." Tesla replied, "I've always wanted to go to Cuba."

"Last time I was on Cuba, I was being shot at." Karlson said to her

"Except those weren't the locals doing the shooting..." She replied

"What about Aruba?" Katie asked

"Aruba sounds nice..." Samantha replied

"What's Aruba?" Leon asked

"It's another island." Barnes replied, "I've been there once with the 502nd during a exercise with some squadrons from the Central American Air Force, it's really nice."

"You've been everywhere haven't you?" Samantha asked him

"Oh you have no idea..." He replied as they reached the naval air station on Ford Island where most of the other post-human dragons were spending their vacation as it started to rain lightly

"Okay! Everybody inside!" Barnes shouted as he used his right wing to shield the yearlings from the falling rain as he and Samantha ran into the nearest hangar with the Karlsons and Wenskies

"Wow that blew in quickly." Wensky replied while the Night Fury yearlings climbed down Samantha's tail as their parents laid down on the back wall of the hangar

"So now what?" Tesla asked them

"We wait until the storm blows over." Barnes replied as the light rain turned into a downpour as several other post-human dragons took shelter in the hangar with them

"So much for sunny." Jones said as he shook himself dry, "When is this going to blow over?"

"Sometime tomorrow." Barnes replied, "So you might as well settle down and get comfy."

"Well I'm glad we left the beach when we did, because we would've been swamped!" Karlson said as he watched the rain fall outside while his son, Calvin and his sister, Sheva climbed down his tail and started playing on the hangar floor

"So what were you guys doing on the beach?" Casey, a American post-human Deadly Nadder asked

"Playing with the kids." Barnes replied

"They're really growing up now aren't they?" Jones asked

"Yeah..." Samantha replied as she looked down at the three yearlings, who had grown to a size only slightly larger than Terry, "Soon they're going to be able to fly by themselves so I won't have to carry them on my back."

"So how long will it be until they're all grown up?" Karlson asked

"We don't know...we never asked the riders before they left." Barnes replied, "But I'm guessing either two or three more years, but they may hit a growth spurt so who knows?"

Zoey yawned and laid her head down

"Mommy I'm tired..." Anna said to her parents with heavy eyes as he brother laid his own head down

"Go to sleep then..." Samantha replied

Anna laid her down onto Leon's back

"They're so cute when they're asleep..." Katie said to Samantha and Barnes

"It's only the calm before the storm if they're anything like these two." Tesla said to her as she motioned to Calvin and Sheva, who stopped playing to look at their mother, "Yes I'm talking about you!"

"Oh you haven't seen these three in action then." Wensky said as he motioned to Emily and her two brothers, David and Danny, who were gathered around their mother's feet

"Hey they're not that bad!" Katie said to him

"Please don't start arguing! I get enough of that from living with Vasili and Tanya." Jones replied, "Apparently those two used to be boy and girlfriend before they were turned into dragons."

"You know you could always transfer to another hangar?" Casey said to him

Jones snorted

"We've really come a long haven't we?" Barnes asked Samantha telepathically as they looked at their children

"Yeah..." She replied before she started to purr and put her head against Barnes', "Come on lets try to get some rest."

Barnes smiled and laid his head down with Samantha's

"Everybody be quiet! Barnes and Samantha are sleeping!" Karlson said to the other post-human dragons in the hangar

"They're such a cute couple..." Katie replied

"We owe a lot to them." Karlson said to them and the others nodded

"Come on lets go ahead and get some rest." Wensky said to him and the others before they all laid down and went to sleep.


	7. Preview: The Archipelago Wars

**Preview for The Archipelago Wars **

_A Sequel to the Gene Corp War _

"We interrupt this program to bring you the latest breaking news from the Isle of Berk." A News Broadcaster said after interrupting a commercial break before going to CEBN(Central European Broadcasting Network) Swiss anchorman, Florian Erisman

"This just in, Hairy Hooligan warriors, now reinforced by recently-arrived American forces are now pushing the Outcast Tribe back toward their beachheads west of their village." Florian said to the Camera, "We now go live to Field Reporter, Gabriel Barnard, who is embedded with the American 29th Infantry Division."

The camera swtiches to CEBN Field Reporter, Gabriel Barnard who was wearing a kevlar vest and a helmet with a built in microphone while in the background, American hovercraft were bringing ashore tanks and other armored vehicles while warships were anchored offshore firing their weapons at unseen targets as the sounds of gunfire, falling artillery shells, and explosions echoed from the island

"Thank you Florian, as you can see behind me, the Americans are not hestiating to bring their entire arsenal to bear on the Outcasts, who we believe are led by a man known to the Hairy Hooligans as Alvin the Treacherous, who is now being targeted by American special forces, including the APMSF and 502nd Special Operations Air Squadron."

"Can you tell us the current progress of the campaign?" Florian asked Gabriel

"Not at this time, but I spoke to a APMSF Officer, who seemed certain that this campaign will be a short one." He replied as the Camera switched to a clip of four APMSF Pershing II MBTs supporting by Stormtroopers and Hairy Hooligan warriors assaulted a Outcast and then switched to another clip of American Air Force Forward Air Controllers(FACs) using their laser designators to guide bombs to their targets, several Outcast ships beached on a shore that were shattered to splinters by the blasts and then switched to another clip of a Night Fury wearing kletonium powered armor in a violent brawl with a Outcast Zippleback and it's rider before the camera switched back to Gabriel

"Can you tell us anything about that last clip?" Florian asked Gabriel as they replayed the clip of the brawl before going back again to Gabriel

"That was a Outcast Zippleback and it's rider being engaged by General Barnes of the 502nd Special Operations Air Squadron, but there is no word on the outcome." He replied, "But I believe that Barnes may have slain the Outcast and his Zippleback since it is reported that Barnes has been helping APMSF General Karlson lead the counter-attack against the Outcasts and in the hunt for Alvin the Treacherous."

"What can you tell us about the Outcasts, how are they different from the other Viking tribes?" Florian asked Gabriel

"According to reports from the leaders of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, the Outcasts are what they're names, outcasts who were banished to a island known as the Outcast Lands from the other tribes for serious crimes." He replied, "This tribe has had it's previous confrontations with the Hairy Hooligans before the Gene Corp War and have somehow managed to learn how to tame and train dragons despite the Hairy Hooligan's attempts to prevent it's proliferation, possibly indicating a traitor inside the tribe or some level of infiltration."

"INCOMING!" A American Soldier shouted as a Deadly Nadder and it's Outcast Rider flew over the American beachhead while being closely pursued by U.S Navy fighter jets as the cameraman dropped his camera to the sand causing the screen to go black before it returned to Florian

"We now return to your normal scheduled program." He said before it switched back to another commercial


End file.
